


Our Ceiling Is a Burning Sky

by MidnightRavenFromTheClock



Series: 3B Is Killing Me [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Asmodeus appears for a sec, Communication, Edom Angst (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Magnus Bane, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Nightmares, Out of control Magic, Panic Attacks, Post-Finale, Protective Alec Lightwood, Violence, because tea makes everything better, just a bit, midnight tea, well actually kind of in the middle of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 13:09:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19006435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightRavenFromTheClock/pseuds/MidnightRavenFromTheClock
Summary: “Magnus, look at me, please.” Alec – of course it’s Alexander with him in the apparently regular room – asks.I can’t, Magnus thinks but doesn’t manage to find his voice,or Edom might fall on our heads. Of course, it’s silly. So silly he’s almost glad he can’t find it in himself to speak.OrThe first night after Magnus comes back, he dreams of Edom.





	Our Ceiling Is a Burning Sky

The first night after Magnus comes back, he dreams of Edom.

He’s barefoot, the sandy ground hot under his feet. His eyes trail up to the burning red sky.

“No, no.” He says, voice strained and desperate. “It’s not true, I’m not here.” He says. The demons scream and wail, flying freely and never once touching Magnus because he is one of them; because Edom is in his blood, and it’s like a fire that burns cold and fuels yet drives out all warmth. “I’m _not here_.”

Time runs differently in Edom, he can’t tell how long he was down there in the real world, knows it was longer for him than for Alec and the others. Now, Magnus dreams that no one ever comes, and he stares at that red sky for years and years until he forgets he was ever anywhere else.

Until he stumbles to the castle and sees his father on the throne, that rare gentle smile that was only ever directed at Magnus. “Welcome home, my son.” Asmodeus says, the same careful regard he showed Magnus on the last days, before-

“You’re not here.” Magnus realizes. “I sent you away.”

“Yes, you did.” Asmodeus rises from the throne, any hint of warmth is gone as he stares with cold cat eyes. And he realizes it’s not his father at all, but Magnus himself standing before him. “And now you’re alone.” The other Magnus raises his hands and releases a wall of fire.

Magnus stumbles back, raising his arms in a vain attempt at blocking the attack and-

He’s the other Magnus, raised hands surrounded by remains of angry magic, and the one stumbling back is no longer him, but a boy with runes.

“ _No!_ ” Magnus screams but it’s too late. “No, no, Alec.” He cries, trembling so hard his legs threaten to give out.

* * *

 Magnus opens his eyes to darkness, a scream caught in his throat that makes him choke.

“Magnus? _Magnus_.”

It’s burning hot, Edom’s humid air has never felt so suffocating. Instinctively Magnus tries to wrench away whatever constraint is clinging to his skin but just gets more tangled in it.

“Whoa, hey it’s okay, let me help-”

Something tugs at his constraint, a barely-there touch but Magnus screams and rolls away as much as he’s able.

The touch is gone in an instant, followed by a rush of mumbled apologies that barely register through the pounding in Magnus’s head. He grabs the fabric wrapped around him and rips it away in a heap of flames. He’s instantly hit with cool air but it’s not enough, he can’t bear Edom’s heat anymore- not for another second- not-

There’s some shuffling and then another, stronger breeze of cool air finally soothes Magnus’s skin. He gasps it in like he was drowning before, and now he can finally breathe. Magnus realizes his hands are wondering, sparkling - waiting to lash out again, and now he settles them on the bed.

The bed dips. “Magnus?”

Magnus stares at the red sky etched across the ceiling. If he squints he can just make out a winged creature in the distance. The sight doesn’t startle him, partly because it’s what he expects to see, and partly because he’s too worn out to panic like that again.

Oh, someone is still calling his name.

“Shit, Magnus I don’t know what to do. I- You-” The words are quick and panicked. Magnus wonders why the voice sounds so scared, and then tenses at the realization there’s a person with him. That’s not actually possible, Magnus is the only person in Edom, not even his father there to keep him from going mad with solitude. Is that what’s happening, is he finally going mad?

The next time the voice speaks it’s barely a whisper, careful as if Magnus might shatter any moment. “Magnus? Can you hear me?”

Magnus hums.

“Thank the angel.” The voice murmurs. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

Magnus disagrees. But he’s caught in the unexpected gentleness of the voice, it eases some of the weight on his chest and he remembers to blink. The red sky flickers, again and again until Magnus is staring at a regular ceiling. He breathes in with the surprise.

The bed shifts. “Magnus, look at me, please.” Alec – of course it’s Alexander with him in the apparently regular room – asks.

_I can’t_ , Magnus thinks but doesn’t manage to find his voice, _or Edom might fall on our heads_. Of course, it’s silly. So silly he’s almost glad he can’t find it in himself to speak.

Alec must realize he’s not getting an answer. “Can- can I touch you?” He asks tentatively. “Touch your hand...”

Magnus thinks about fire on his hands, the smell of burning flesh as it knocked Alec off his feet. He shudders, fighting a wave of nausea.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I won’t touch you, okay?” Alec says quickly, sounding wrecked.

“No.” Magnus mumbles, even though the simple word scraps his throat like knives. He’s craving this touch now, something - _anything_ that’s real. With great effort, Magnus uncurls his palm and nudges it in Alec’s direction. “ _Please._ ”

Instantly, there’s warm fingers curling around his. Alec is careful, watching for Magnus’s reaction, but Magnus sighs and grabs the hand, relaxing into the touch. It does the trick – chasing away the last of Magnus’s nightmare. Finally, he manages to tear his gaze away form the ceiling and closes his eyes instead.

“Magnus?” Alec traces Magnus’s knuckles, movements that are slow and careful as he moves to Magnus’s wrist, tracing patterns Magnus might recognize as runes if he was more present.

Magnus hums in acknowledgement. For the moment he feels content to lay and let Alec’s touch ground him.

“You know where you are, right?” Alec gently asks.

Magnus cracks an eye open - regular ceiling, regular room. Not Edom. He turns his head, finding Alec in the darkness. The shadowhunter is on the bed, hand curled around Magnus’s but keeping a respectable distance between their bodies.

“There you are.” Alec smiles when he sees Magnus finally looking at him.

Magnus can’t help but mirror the small smile, letting the moment linger before getting back to Alec’s question. “I thought I was in Edom.” He explains, hopes if Alec understands what happened it will soothe his worry, but the shadowhunter’s face falls.

“You’re not anymore. You’re home.” Alec says, squeezing Magnus’s hand with the words.

Magnus nods. He likes the way Alec saying _home_ makes him feel safe, and protected and _loved_.

“What can I do? I could make you some tea? Chamomile with honey… Or some food?” Alec offers.

Tea sounds absolutely lovely, but Magnus shakes his head and tightens his hand around Alec’s. “No. Stay.”

“I will. But what do you need?”

Magnus pulls at Alec’s arm. “Come closer.” He asks.

So, Alec does. At first tentatively, then more surely, he wraps his arms around Magnus. If Magnus was craving cool air before, now he melts into the warmth of Alec’s arms.

They stay like that for a long time, until eventually Magnus manoeuvrers away from Alec’s hold with an apologetic smile.

Alec is instantly alert. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Alexander, I’m okay-” Magnus says. “well, ish. I just don’t think I can handle any more sleep tonight.” He admits, fighting the urge to plaster on a smile and say everything’s alright.

“Oh. Of course, would you like that tea now?”

Magnus frowns. “You don’t have to get up just because-”

“I just got you back. You don’t really think I’m going to let you out of my sight so soon, do you? Trust me, this is as much for my sake of mind as it is for yours.”

Magnus smiles. “In that case, how can I say no to tea?”

They get out of bed, but Magnus’s gaze falls on a heap of burned blankets.

“Magnus?”

“I’m sorry.” He says, feeling foolish.

“It’s just a blanket, no harm done.” Alec tries to reassure, but Magnus is already shaking his head in denial.

“But it’s not. I didn’t know what I was doing, that could have been _you_.” He argues. He thinks back on the dream and shudders, had Edom really managed to claw so deeply into his mind?

“It wasn’t. It wouldn’t have been.” Alec denies, frowning at Magnus’s expression. “Look, Magnus I’m a shadowhunter. I’m not that easy to get rid of.”

Not entirely convinced, but momentarily soothed, Magnus nods and leads them into the kitchen where Alec busies himself with making their tea. “We could drink it on the balcony? Maybe it will help.”

Magnus blinks. “Help?”

“Yeah, you calmed down before when I opened the window.” Alec shrugs.

“Oh. Yes, I suppose it would be nice.” Magnus agrees. “How did you know to do that?”

“I’ve been to Edom too.” Alec carefully places the mugs on a tray.

Soon enough, they settle down on the balcony, cuddled together with their mugs.

Alec nudges him. “How do you feel? Really.”

“Better.” Magnus replies honestly. “Much better. I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“It was Edom...” Magnus says slowly.

Alec shakes his head. “It was more than that.”

“Yeah.” Magnus sighs, putting his mug down, just because it gives him an excuse to stall the conversation. “I dreamed that no one ever came for me, that I was there alone for… for a very long time.”

“Magnus…” Alec whispers. He places his own mug down to take Magnus’s hand.

“And then, I was there for so long I lost myself. And when you did come it was too late and I-” Magnus gulps, looking away. He’s suddenly immensely glad for Alec’s suggestion of settling on the balcony, because the cool air combined with Alec’s hold on his arm is just enough to keep him calm.

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s too much.” Alec says, trying to meet Magnus’s eyes.

“I killed you.” He whispers, holding his breath for Alec’s reaction.

“Magnus, hey. It was only a dream. You’d never hurt me, that’s not you.” Alec finally manages to catch Magnus’s gaze. “Just like I would’ve never abandoned you like that. Ever.”

“You might not have had a choice.” Magnus argues, frowning.

“No, no there’s always a choice. I would have… I would have turned myself into a vampire and joined you in Edom before I’d let that happen.” Alec admits slowly, trying to gauge Magnus’s reaction and quietly wondering if it’s too much for the already heavy night.

Magnus frowns. “Don’t say that. I’d never expect you to-”

“But I mean it. I- before Clary created the alliance rune, I asked Simon to turn me.”

“What?”

“Magnus I would’ve done it. Because I love you, and because I would have _never_ left you down there. _Ever_.”

Magnus stares. “Oh. I-. Alexander.” He sighs and then pulls Alec’s lips against his own before either of them can say anything else. The kiss is fierce and hasty, both trying to ground themselves in the moment, in being _together_ when the world tried so hard to tear them apart.

And when they finally curl up in bed, there is no more red sky or fire. That night Magnus dreams of Alec, coming to save him against all odds.

**Author's Note:**

> Soo it's summer vacation and now I don't know what to do with my life _*shrugs*_. I wanted to work on something original, but for some reason I can't get into it _*stupid, stupid writer's block*_ , so here I am writing Malec. At leats I'm glad I can write something.  
>   
> On a different note, is #SaveShadowhunters still a thing? I have no idea since I'm not on Twitter anymore, but I can't believe SH is just over, how does that even happen? :'(


End file.
